Knockdown door



or! "use 3,019,867 KNOCKDOWN DOOR John S. Colombini, Walled Lake, Mich. Original application May 28, 1956, Ser. No. 587,804, now Patent No. 2,948,956, dated Aug. 16, 1960. Divided and this application Feb. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 5,770

1 Claim. (Cl. 18946) This invention relates to a sheet metal door construction and has particular reference to a sheet metal garage door of knockdown construction so as to facilitate shipping and handling of the door.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sheet metal door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garage door or the like constructed so that the same may be separated into two halves after manufacture to facilitate handling and shippingof the door in knockdown relation, and which may thereafter be readily assembled into a complete door at the installation in which it is to be used.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claim and may be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, which by way of illustration shows a preferred embodiment of the invention and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying the principles of my invention. Other embodiments of the invention may be used used without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the two separate but similarly formed door sections prior to their assemy;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a completed door;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the manner in which the two halves of the door are adapted to be secured together;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the parts in assembled relation; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the door during one stage in the manufacture thereof.

A complete or assembled door 10 is illustrated in FIG. 2 as viewed from the inner side of the door. The door is illustrated in FIG. 1 in its knocked-down condition as comprising an upper half 12 and a lower half 14, which are adapted to be secured together to complete the door it). The two halves of the door 12 and 14 are generally similar in construction and may comprise sheet metal panels 16 and 18 respectively, each of which may be formed from a single sheet of metal or from two or more sheets suitably secured together to provide a panel of the required size.

Each of the panels 16 and 18 are provided with spaced parallel grooves 20 forming ribs 22 projecting from the outer surface thereof to provide rigidity and an attractive appearance to the door. A frame member 24 extends along one edge of each door section and is disposed parallel to the grooves 20 therein. Each door section also includes a series of spaced parallel frame elements 26 secured on the inner side of the panel and disposed perpendicular to its frame members 24. The frame members 24 and the frame elements 26 may be made from the same stock out to suitable lengths, and as shown may be generally channel-shaped in cross section with the open side of the channel facing the door panel.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper door section 12 has a groove 20 formed along its lower edge and the panel 18 of the lower half of the door has a marginal groove 20 along its upper edge, with the panel 18 being nit States Patent extended in the form of a short flange 28 beyond the marginal groove 20. The frame members 24 and the frame elements 26 may be secured to their respective door panels in any suitable manner such as by spot welding. In their assembled relation as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the upper and lower door sections 12 and 14 are secured together by means of connecting elements 30 in the form of sheet metal channel sections which are adapted to be telescopically received within the channels defined by the frame elements 26. The frame elements 26 on each door section project a slight distance beyond the planar surface of the panel to which they are secured and terminate substantially at the level of the bottom of the V defined by the marginal groove 20* ofthe panel. When the two panels or door halves are asssembled the marginal grooves on each panel will be in the nested relation shown in FIG. 4 while the frame elements 26 on the panels will be aligned and in endwise engagement with each other. The door sections may be readily assembled by inserting one of the connecting elements 30 into each frame member 26 on the upper door section 16 and then securing the connecting elements within such frame members by suitable bolts passing through apertures 32 in the frame members 26 and aligned apertures 34 in the connecting elements 30. Thereafter the lower door section may be moved up against the upper door section so that the projecting portions of the connecting elements 30 will enter the channels defined by the frame members 26 on the lower door section and to nest the marginal grooves 20 on the two door sections in the relation shown in FIG. 4. Bolts or screws are then employed for fastening the channels 26 of the lower door section to the connecting elements 30 and the door is then completely assembled and ready to be installed. The panels 16 and 18 are made of relatively thin gauge metal so as to have sufficient resiliency to enable the marginal grooves on the two door sections to be fitted together during assembly of the door.

FIG. 5 illustrates one stage in the manufacture of the door in which the vertical frame elements 26 extend continuously between the upper and lower frame members 24 rather than being initially cut to a length appro .priate for each door half prior to being secured onto their respective door panels. It contemplated that the upper and lower panels 16 and 18 may be arranged in the relation they will assume in a completed door, that is, with the marginal grooves of the panels in nested relation as shown in FIG. 5. Thereafter single lengths of the frame elements 26 are laid across the assembled panels 16 and 18 between the top and bottom frame members 24. After the frame members 26 have been welded or otherwise secured onto both the upper and lower door sections the frame members 26 may be cut as by a saw along the dotted line indicated at 36 in FIG. 5. The line '36 along which the series of frame elements 26 are severed lies in a plane. parallel to the bottom of the marginal grooves 20 of the two door sections so that there will be clearance for a saw or other cutting tool during the severing operation. Since the marginal flanges or grooves of the upper and lower door sections are not secured together, the two door sections thus formed by severing the frame elements along the line 36 will correspond to the upper and lower sections 12 and 14 illus trated in FIG. 1. The two door sections may thus be handled and shipped in their knockdown condition along with an appropriate number of connecting elements 30. At the place of installation the door sections are assembled as previously described.

An important advantage in construction the door as described above is in the fact that proper alignment of the frame elements 26 during final assembly of the door is insured since the aligned pairs of frame members were originally a single length during manufacture and must necessarily align properly when the two door sections are reassembled.

The foregoing construction provides a light weight relatively rigid sheet metal door which is economical to manufacture, easy to handle, and inexpensive to transport due to its knockdown construction, and which may be easily assembled by the user of the door.

This application is a division of my prior copending application Serial No. 587,804, filed May 28, 1956, for Knockdown Door, now Patent No. 2,948,956, issued August 16, 1960.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that this is capable of modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alternations as fall within the purview of the following claim.

I claim:

A sheet metal door of the knockdown type comprising two similarly formed door halves secured together, each door half comprising a sheet metal panel having a generally planar surface and a series of parallel substantially V-shaped grooves forming ribs projecting from one side thereof, a frame member extending parallel to said ribs along one edge of each panel, each panel having spaced and parallel channel-shaped frame elements secured thereon and disposed perpendicular to said frame members, each panel having a marginal groove formed along its opposite edge, said frame elements on each panel extending across said grooves and projecting beyond the planar surface of the panel, and partially across the marginal groove at said opposite edge but terminating inwardly from the marginal edge thereof, said panels being arranged with their said marginal grooves in nested relation and with their frame elements in aligned and abutting relation, and a connecting element telescopically received within the channels of each aligned pair of frame elements and secured thereto thereby securing said panels together said connecting elements constituting the sole means for securing the two door halves together to complete the door. 1

References Cited in the file of 'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,738,689 Brown et' a1. Dec. 10, 1929 2,322,700 Mussey June 22, 1943 2,804,953 Buehler Sept. 3, 1957 2,930,116 Minges Mar. 29, 1960 

